WASHINGTON--U.S. wholesalers restocked at a faster pace at the end of 2017.

Wholesale inventories rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4% in December from a month earlier, the Commerce Department said Friday. The increase comes after inventories rose 0.6% in November. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected a 0.2% increase for December.

Sales in December were up 1.2% from a month earlier, while the ratio of inventories to sales was 1.22 in December, down from 1.29 in December 2016.

The Commerce Department data are available online at: http://www2.census.gov/wholesale/pdf/mwts/currentwhl.pdf.

Write to Sharon Nunn at sharon.nunn@wsj.com and Sarah Chaney at sarah.chaney@wsj.com.